slightly embarassing problem....

[mom2morgan]

I'm going in mid September. I have Ulcerative Colitis and am currently having a minor flare up. What this means is a lot of abrupt and unscheduled bathroom breaks. I fear standing in line with my family and having to make a run for it. Would other people in line be mad at me for leaving and then rejoing? I personally hate "queue jumpers" but is it different if it is 1 person rejoining a party of 4? I really don't want to make people grumpy, but also don't want to repeatedly bale on my family and miss out on rides/shows. (this happened at Space Mountain in Disneyland a couple years ago. I should have just left the line, but didn't want to leave my daughter to ride alone I made it - but needless to say it was a miserable ride). How would you feel if one woman was pushing through line to rejoin her family? :(

[ginny57]

My guess is that most people will be fine when you go back thru the line and excuse yourself so you can catch up with your family...and some people will be annoyed no matter what you say or do. So....do what you need to do and don't worry about the people who get cranky.

[Dopey's Girl]

I don't care when this happens as long as people are polite, and it's not numerous people joining one in line. I wouldn't give you the side eye if I was in line!

Hope you are feeling better soon!

[Tink#64]

Personally speaking, I wouldn't mind a bit! My eyebrow's go up when it's one person in line in a que & SEVERAL join in! Still, I would never say anything. But, when it's one person joining a group, I can't imagine anyone saying anything, that's just absurd! You could've been held up for any number of reasons, but bathroom breaks primarily come to mind, and we're all human & need those human moments, so relax! :thumbsup: It's all good!

[rjmdds]

I absolutely don't mind when an individual does it as long as they are polite about it and excuse themselves. What irks me is when people just barge through the line with a complete disregard for others and don't say a word. Dont worry about it and enjoy the trip.

[civilmousefan]

I also don't think you should have a problem returning to your family. The people directly behind you will be there when you return, and before leaving, maybe you could mention to them that you must leave because of an emergency without going into details.

I hope you feel better soon and have a good trip!

[j2k]

We waited nearly an hour for Soarin' and just before we were to be told which Concourse to go to my DD needed the restroom. She and I pushed our way back through the crowd of people. Some were polite and let us through and some did not budge. I was appalled because I couldn't understand the behavior considering we were leaving the line, not pushing through to the front of the line. Once we got out the line and she finished in the restroom I explained the situation to a CM at the fastpass entrance and asked if we could use the fast pass line to get to the front to meet DH. He said No, but you can use this route and he lifted the chain from a barricaded line on the left side of the entrance and told us to use that to get to the front. He said most rides have a similar type "shortcut" just for that purpose. I was very thankful that I didn't have to push my way through that crowd again. They really would've given me evil looks and such trying to get to the front. So my suggestion to you is talk to the CM at the rides and you may beable to use the " shortcut" if it's available.
I understand what you're dealing with. My mother has suffered with UC for over 20 years. It has definitely changed her life.
Enjoy yourself at WDW!!

[Dulcee]

The people near you in line will have seen you left. They'll know your family was waiting while you were away.

For the cranky one's its none of their business anyway!

Go and have a nice trip without worrying. I think you'll be fine.


EDIT: It might be worthwhile to ask on the special needs board here about maybe obtaining a GAC? It's for unseen obstacles guests may have and if you have to leave a line abruptly may help make it easier to rejoin your family with the help of a castmember instead of pushing through solo. Might be worth asking around!

[Rosanne]

I'm going in mid September. I have Ulcerative Colitis and am currently having a minor flare up. What this means is a lot of abrupt and unscheduled bathroom breaks. I fear standing in line with my family and having to make a run for it. Would other people in line be mad at me for leaving and then rejoing? I personally hate "queue jumpers" but is it different if it is 1 person rejoining a party of 4? I really don't want to make people grumpy, but also don't want to repeatedly bale on my family and miss out on rides/shows. (this happened at Space Mountain in Disneyland a couple years ago. I should have just left the line, but didn't want to leave my daughter to ride alone I made it - but needless to say it was a miserable ride). How would you feel if one woman was pushing through line to rejoin her family? :(

Hi! I have Ulcerative Colitis and I completely understand where you are coming from. The hard part about this disease is that there's so little awareness.

As Dulcee just mentioned, yes, you should ask about a GAC. You do have a disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. It's not by any means a "front of the line pass." How it will work on most attractions is this - You go up to the fastpass cast member with your party and your card. They will look at the posted wait time and give you a card to come back after that wait time. For example, if you go to Space Mountain at noon and the wait is 30 minutes, the cast member will give you a card to come back at 12:30. Then you can use the FastPass line to access the attraction. I know that the waiting is the hardest part with this disease. It's feeling "trapped" like you won't have enough time to get to the bathroom. I see no reason why you should feel uncomfortable asking for a GAC.

However, if you do - in my experience if you are one person leaving and coming back, you are passing mostly the same people. They understand. Also as mentioned above, chat with a cast member and say, I'm having an emergency can I rejoin my party when I get back. They will often help you get back.

Have a great trip. A little bit of pixie dust is always good for the colon :)

[Dsnygirl]

Sending pixie dust that your flare-up calms down before your trip - :magic: :magic: :magic: - but if it doesn't, I wouldn't worry at all about stepping out of line & returning. That is by no means "queue jumping" and can be necessary for anyone. I would never mind if someone left & re-joined, unless they brought 5 of their closest friends with them.... ;) Good luck!!

[BrerGnat]

I would suggest getting a GAC. Your condition is very real and unpredictable. Be aware that the CM's who handle the GACs are very discreet and will figure out the best GAC for your needs.

While it isn't a front of the line pass by any means, it will mean much shorter waits for rides, or the opportunity to come back after a predetermined time interval, during which you can take a bathroom break if needed. I would HIGHLY advise getting a GAC. While I don't have UC, I do have IBS and it can be miserable when I'm having a bad flare up. I just had a flare up during our drive back to VA from Florida this past weekend. Needless to say, we are flying from now on! :blush: No more road trips for me!!!

[g8rgirl29]

I have had to get out of line with DD even though we either went to the BR before getting in line or she was fine before getting in line. Everyone is usually pretty understanding. I also suffer from IBS and it can be a challenge. The one thing I suggest is mapping out the bathrooms in advance, I used to bring a small sharpie and circle all the bathrooms in red. That way when I am frantically trying to get to a bathroom it takes some of the stress out knowing where I am going.
BrerGnat...I had one of my IBS attacks as we were landing in Orlando one time, By the Grace of God I jumped out of that seat and made a dash for the bathroom. I made it before the stampede started but I was stuck in that bathroom til everyone was off the plane, you couldn't open the door without hitting someone.

[MNNHFLTX]

How would you feel if one woman was pushing through line to rejoin her family? :(As long as you did not actually push your way through I would not mind one bit! ;) But yes, a GAC definitely sounds appropriate! :mickey:

[mom2morgan]

The one thing I suggest is mapping out the bathrooms in advance, I used to bring a small sharpie and circle all the bathrooms in red. That way when I am frantically trying to get to a bathroom it takes some of the stress out knowing where I am going.


LOL - yeah, I've had about 20 years practice with that. My family loves it because I ALWAYS know where the bathrooms are.

I'm not sure how I feel about asking for a GAC pass - maybe I'll just try it out my way and see how it goes for the first couple of days, but I'll keep that in the back of my mind! Does it allow my whole family of 5 to leave with me and come back together?

[TheVBs]

We would not mind at all. Emergencies happen to everyone once in awhile and most people are reasonable and will understand that. :mickey: Have a great trip!!

[BrerGnat]

LOL - yeah, I've had about 20 years practice with that. My family loves it because I ALWAYS know where the bathrooms are.

I'm not sure how I feel about asking for a GAC pass - maybe I'll just try it out my way and see how it goes for the first couple of days, but I'll keep that in the back of my mind! Does it allow my whole family of 5 to leave with me and come back together?

The GAC is issued to one party member in need, but it is good for up to 5 addtional people who are with you, so good for a group of six total. It will not give you the opportunity to get out of a line and rejoin, but instead will offer you an alternate entrance (the FP entrance, or the exit, usually) or will give you an alternate waiting strategy (i.e. you will get a card with a time to return, if the wait for a ride is 60 min, rather than waiting IN line, you will come back in 60 min and board immediately via the exit).

You are issued the GAC for your length of stay, but you can choose where and when to use it. When you are feeling okay, and you don't think you will have any issues, or the line is short enough that you feel safe getting into it, simply don't use it. It's just a card the size of an index card that you carry with you. Use at your discretion. We get one for our son with Autism, but we only use it sometimes. He can handle some queues but not others. We use it about 30% of the time.

[Cinderelley]

I personally don't have a problem with any size group meeting up with someone in line, and I definitely wouldn't expect someone to give me a reason why they left the line, "emergency" or otherwise. Some things I really don't want to know. Go and do what you need to do without worrying about the naysayers.

[Mfarquar]

The people near you in line will have seen you left. They'll know your family was waiting while you were away.

For the cranky one's its none of their business anyway!

Go and have a nice trip without worrying. I think you'll be fine.


EDIT: It might be worthwhile to ask on the special needs board here about maybe obtaining a GAC? It's for unseen obstacles guests may have and if you have to leave a line abruptly may help make it easier to rejoin your family with the help of a castmember instead of pushing through solo. Might be worth asking around!

I COMPLETELY agree with Dulcee! People will see you leave. It's not like you're showing up out of nowhere.

I know EXACTLY what you're going through! I have Crohn's disease and have been in your position. I can provide reviews of the best and worst bathrooms in all of WDW! haha

This is why I often struggle the famous debate on these boards about leaving the line. There are exceptions, and I believe you are one of them. However, because of this debate, one often feels as though they need to explain themselves. How uncomfortable to have to feel as though you have to do this! As Dulcee mentioned, it's no one's business. You don't need to explain yourself, you have a genuine condition and no one IN PERSON will make a big deal of it (people are so less likely to share their opinion in the flesh!).

When you feel :ill:, that's it. Time to leave the line. I've frequently just been too sick for too long and I don't return to the line. There have been only one or two times I've returned, and the one time I received dirty looks, I've been tempted to say, believe me, it was better for everyone's sake that I left! One time someone was so rude to me I did say, "Excuse me, I have a medical condition. I was not going outside to have fun". The Crohns and Colitis foundation even issues cards for general use that say that you have the disease and can you please cut in the bathroom line! I received one after making a donation. I have never had the nerve to use it, but was tempted to whip it out in WDW!

Here's the best news for you if you don't get the GAC (I never have). You're going in mid-September. This is when we go, too. Most lines are so short that we've just left the line and came back without missing too much time. Then there's no stress of making it back before your party already entered the ride.

Hopefully, your flare up will chill out before your trip. I find that keeping very hydrated, staying away from my favorite popcorn in the parks, no alcohol and avoiding other trigger foods can make a big difference (besides the temptation - I'm always tempted to do what I'm not supposed to do/never do while on vacation). Also, get LOTS of sleep. Although I'm not sure there's any medical evidence, my flare ups calm down much more quickly if I'm getting lots of sleep (especially before and during a trip).

I hope you have a wonderful time and feel MUCH better!